Any resale owners here?

[srjth]

Hello, Starwood members.

I'm thinking of buying a Starwood resale but all I ever talk to are sales people and you know how they are. I'm a little skeptical so I'm wondering if anyone has any advice, tips, hints or other info they'd like to share with me about resales. I'm looking at buying at one of the mandatory resorts (still trying to learn how the system works). At this point, I'm still unsure of exactly what I would be missing out on if I buy resale as opposed to directly from Starwood.

Any personal anecdotes, stories or advice would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, I am a former Disney Vacation Club member so that's been my only experience with timeshares so far.

 

[DeniseM]

Hi and welcome - There are LOTS of resale owners here. I recommend that you start out by reading the Starwood FAQ at the top of the forum - there is a comparison there of buying voluntary - mandatory - developer. Then let us know what questions you have.

-What are your goals with buying a Starwood timeshare? i.e. how are you going to use it?

 

[PamMo]

This forum has owners who bought their mandatory and/or voluntary weeks directly from Starwood, owners who bought resale, and owners who have done both - multiple times.

It's a bit difficult to reply to such an open-ended request like yours. Your request for tips, advice, anecdotes, etc, would be best answered by reading through the Starwood forum FAQ's and "Sticky's", and searching "mandatory vs voluntary" resorts. Then ask away!

Since you used to own a Disney timeshare, think about what you liked or disliked about that system - and what is it about Starwood that you think will be different?

 

[DavidnRobin]

You came to the right place - congrats - many do not find their way here, or find this forum too late.

Whatever you decide - if you choose to buy into Starwood system (SVO) - buy resale first after extensive research.

 

[jarta]

"I'm looking at buying at one of the mandatory resorts (still trying to learn how the system works). At this point, I'm still unsure of exactly what I would be missing out on if I buy resale as opposed to directly from Starwood."

You would be missing only 2 things if you bought a mandatory resale week. The StarOptions would not be convertible to Starpoints and they also would not count toward Elite status.

You would, however, have the benefit of using the StarOptions to reserve at other Starwood resorts at 8 months or less from arrival - assuming there is availability. And, under Starwood's conditions of time limits and fees, the resale StarOptions can be banked.

But, you would have a lot more money in your pocket than if you bought from Starwood. ... eom

 

[dcdowden]

We bought a 2 BR Platinum and a 1 BR Premium week resale at Westin Kierland a few years ago and have been very happy with the purchase. WKV is a mandatory resort and we were able to exchange into WKORV-N on Maui as well. We were amazed to hear from owners there that their MF's were much higher than what we pay. But mostly we use our time to stay at WKV in March. We are there now and the weather is great. You can't convert to Starpoints with a resale purchase, but you can use your Staroptions to exchange within the Starwood Network without paying additional fees like exchanges through II would require.
Good Luck,
Doug

PS - They just replaced the furniture at WKV this past year and even the smaller side of the L/O units now has a King bed. We do like the fireplace on the larger side because it does get cool at night in the desert.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Plus - you can now bank SOs - this and the ability to combine SOs makes mandatory resorts even more valuable on the resale market (IMO).

We have been renting our WKV Plat weeks out - but we really should try and get back there - it is a great resort. Glad to hear they put King size beds on the smaller side. Queen size beds are a deal breaker for us (is this whining??? )

 

[Ridewithme38]

I know it goes against logic, but when looking for a Wyndham week, i first check RCI, then i check in the internal Wyndham system...

Does the internal Starwood network have availability at 8 months that you can't find with the Starwood Priority in II?

 

[DeniseM]

I know it goes against logic, but when looking for a Wyndham week, i first check RCI, then i check in the internal Wyndham system...

Does the internal Starwood network have availability at 8 months that you can't find with the Starwood Priority in II?

Yes - it is completely separate inventory. However, Starwood's inventory is not searchable. You must go through a Rep. which can be very frustrating!